Auction prices for historic Formula 1 cars, when driven by world champions, are usually an impressive number of zeros, especially if they won races and titles.
Therefore, it is somewhat surprising that after putting Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams up for auction, RM Sotheby’s predicts that the car will go under the hammer for around €200-300,000. However, this price is explained by the fact that we are talking about a Williams FW20, which the Canadian raced in 1998.
After a brilliant victory in the 1997 championship, things clearly took a turn for the worse for Villeneuve the following season, although he and his then teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen still managed to secure Williams third place in the Constructors’ Championship. But Jacques took only 5th place in the individual competition, although he was on the podium twice – in Germany and Hungary.
On this chassis with the index 03, Villeneuve took part in three races that season, including the Australian Grand Prix, where the championship started. The car then started in the Argentine Grand Prix – by the way, it was that year that the Formula 1 race was last held in this country – and in Imola, that is. during the San Marino Grand Prix.
After this, the car was actively used in tests, where it was driven by such racers as Juan Pablo Montoya and Alex Zanardi.
In addition, the copy is, as they say, in perfect condition, because the FW20 is sold directly by the Williams Heritage company, which deals with the historical heritage of Williams, restores old cars and keeps them running. As is clear from the information on the auction house’s website, the car is equipped with a 3 liter Mecachrome V10 engine, which develops around 750 hp. with a maximum speed of 16,000 per minute.
Naturally, such a display could enhance any collection of racing equipment, although this Williams could easily find use in historic car racing and exhibition appearances.
The auction will take place in Paris on February 4 and 5 next year.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
